Resetting the BCD configuration

L

linus hermansson

Member
Hello. Sorry for the long post but I have a huge problem that I got after using EasyBCD.

Today I installed Linux Mint on my Vaio computer that has Windows 8.1 installed on it. Because I did not want to endanger that Windows works without any problems, I created a separate /boot for Mint instead of overwriting the EFI partition that my Windows used.

Everything worked fine and I could boot Mint and Windows, but Mint was not in the boot menu for Windows since I still used the Windows boot menu as standard. This guide:
http://www.freeyourselffrommicrosof...-boot-linux-mint-with-windows-xp-or-windows-7
Recommended that I use your program "EasyBCD". So I installed it in order to add Mint to the windows boot menu. I followed that guide and did the steps (copy from the guide):

Click on Add New Entry tab. While there, click on the Linux/BSD tab, then select GRUB 2 from the Type dropdown menu. GRUB 2, not GRUB Legacy, is the version of GRUB used by Linux Mint 15. Edit the Name field to match the distribution you are adding it for. Apply the changes by clicking the Add Entry button. Click on the Edit Boot Menu tab. You should see how the entries will appear on the boot menu. Exit EasyBCD and restart the computer.

-----END OF COPY-----

After doing this I rebooted my computer and the Mint operating system was available in the boot menu, but once I tried to boot Mint I got the an error that looked something like this: "/NST/AutoNeoGrub0.mbr is missing or corrupt." I do not know the exact quote since I can't reproduce it, but this file was missing and it said that Mint could not boot. In fact it said that Windows could not boot even though I was trying to boot Mint, which is strange but maybe the windows boot menu could not understand that it was Mint I was trying to boot. Another part of the error that was at the top was: "windows failed to start a recent hardware or software...". The reason that I know only these parts of the error is because I searched for these particular strings when I was trying to figure out the error.

I booted up Windows again normally, and everything worked fine. At this point I was thinking that it is probably best to uninstall EasyBCD since it did not solve my problem (adding Mint to the boot menu and working). And I did not want to have several solutions mixed together. So before I was going to uninstall EasyBCD, I wanted to remove the Mint menu item that I had just added (that didn't work). Here is where things went terribly terribly wrong.

I pressed the button called "Reset BCD configuration", which I thought meant that EasyBCD would revert all its changes back to how it was before I installed it. Instead it gave me a message that it removed all my boot items or something to that effect. THIS MEANT THAT MY WINDOWS BOOT ITEM WAS NOW GONE. I tried the "re-create/repair boot files" button but nothing seemed to happen (I did not setup any backup before). At this point I was checkmated. I didn't know what to do, since I did not believe that EasyBCD would be able to add any operating system to my boot menu (it failed with mint). I nevertheless tried in desperation to add both Mint and Windows 8 again hoping and praying that it would work. After I rebooted the computer I tried first to enter Mint and got the same error message as above again. Then I tried to enter Windows and what happened was that the colors on the screen got messed up and nothing loaded. Then the screen turned black.

I have now tried several times to reboot the computer and the screen is just black, I do not even get the boot menu anymore. Just completely black but I think the processor is making a slight sound when I turn it on at least. And the power lamp is glowing when I start the computer.

This all happened because I misunderstood what the "Reset BCD configuration" button does. I don't even believe there was a warning popup asking me if I really wanted to perform the action, and that it would remove my ability to boot into windows. Now I'm stuck with this very expensive Sony Vaio SVP1322A1J laptop computer that won't even boot.

Is there ANY way that I could once again come back to windows? Do a restore or something like that? I have no idea what to do since I only get a 100% black screen now once I boot.

Any advice/help greatly appreciated

I should also mention that I cannot boot from a USB. I have been trying to boot from the live USB that I used to boot into Mint on and that I installed Mint from, but it doesn't work. There is no boot menu at all.

I'm 100% sure that the computer is starting. I can hear the fan. And the keyboard has small lamps under some of the keys, these lamps turn on. It seems they turn on when I press any key on the keyboard.
 
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mqudsi said:
Is this an EFI machine? You'll want to take a look at http://j.mp/BcdRepair and http://NeoSmart.net/EasyRE
Click to expand...

It is an EFI machine.

I have checked the links you recommended. But because of my situation I'm not able to do any of the steps except 4. My screen is literally just completely black from the moment I turn on the computer. I do however not have too much faith in step 4, since it means using NeoSmart's recovery CD and it costs money. My laptop, Sony Vaio SVP1322A1J, does not even have a CD drive, I'm guessing that it might be possible to use the recovery CD from a USB, but as I said before, my computer is not even able to boot from a USB. I have tried booting the computer with the Linux Mint live USB inserted and still the screen is just completely black when I start the computer. Note that I have changed the boot order so that external devices (USB) have priority 1.

Since I do not wish to risk losing even more money, and I believe the probability of buying NeoSmart's CD will fix my computer is very low. I do not think that step 4 will help me in any way. But thanks anyway.

Is there ANY other way that anyone could recommend in order to make my computer work again? I have tried googling for some kind of solution to this but have not found anything that helps. If no one can come up with anything in, say 2 days, I think I will unfortunately have to send the computer to a repair company and hope for the best.
 
Here comes an update with questions for Mahmoud Al-Qudsi or anyone else that wants to answer. I have managed to enter the boot menu. It seems that the computer went into some kind of sleep mode instead of actually shutting down when I turned of Windows after the colors on the screen got messed up. This is even though I have turned off fast startup for Windows 8. My laptop model does not have a removable battery meaning that I could not perform a cold start up easily. I left the computer on during the night and once I came to the office again the battery was dead. I plugged in the electricity to the computer and it booted and showed the boot menu again. (see pic1)
Photo 2015-05-20 12 10 47.jpg
These 2 items I added with easyBCD. I used to have Windows 8 here already but because (like I said in my first post) I accidentally pressed the "Reset BCD configuration" button I had accidentally deleted my Windows 8 boot option, I felt desperate to try and add as much as possible (2 OSs available) so that I could actually boot to anything. This did not work however like stated in my first post.

Question1: Is there any reason that this should not work? I have EFI and windows 8 installed that worked perfectly. I installed Mint and created a separate boot partition for mint where I installed GRUB (sda7). I did not change the Windows boot in any way when I installed Linux Mint. Why doesn't it work to boot to either of the OSs when I added them according to the normal steps with "add entry" and so on like specified above. (See below for errors)

When trying to boot Linux Mint I get the following error (see pic2)
Photo 2015-05-20 12 10 59.jpg

When Trying to boot Windows 8 I get the following error (see pic3)

Photo 2015-05-20 12 11 47.jpg

This is the screen I meant when I in the first post wrote "the colors on the screen got messed up and nothing loaded". These strange strings just appear and nothing else happens.
Based on this I am now officially stuck :smile: but I'm looking for solutions. Here is my second question.

Question2: Is there any way I could possibly revert to the state I was in before I used easyBCD at all? Before using easyBCD I could use Windows 8 perfectly and I had Linux Mint installed and could boot it. Now I'm in a position where I can't boot either of the OSs. I can enter the command prompt from the boot up menu which could be helpful. I want to be able to use Windows 8 like I could before. I can also enter Linux Mint from the live USB I have, but then I do not reach the installed Mint, only the temporary one that is on the USB. Is it possible to fix my windows from this? I do not have any Windows 8 recovery CD/USB.

Any advice appreciated.
 
I have now performed a complete restoration of the computer. Doing this made windows bootable again. I have once again installed Linux Mint with a separate partition for the mint boot (/dev/sda7).

Once again I have installed easyBCD (being very careful not to hit the Reset BCD configuration button) to try to add this mint OS to the boot menu for windows 8. I once again get the exact same problem as pic 2 above. I believe there is a reason for this. When I check my setting with easy BCD2.2 I have the following for my mint operating system:

Real-mode Boot Sector
------------------------------
identifier { <BUNCH OF NUMBERS> }
device partition=C:
path \NST\AutoNeoGrub2.mbr
description Mint

The problem might be that easyBCD adds the path \NST\AutoNeoGrub2.mbr
But grub is probably not installed there. When installing Mint I installed grub on my partition 7 (/dev/sda7). And also when installing I chose the mount point as "/boot". Maybe the path \NST\AutoNeoGrub2.mbr that was autogenerated by easyBCD is wrong? And should actually be something like \boot\AutoNeoGrub2.mbr ??

Any advice appreciated.
 
I'm afraid Microsoft won't allow booting of "foreign" systems from the BCD on a UEFI PC (nothing to do with EasyBCD)
That guide you followed in your OP does "sort-of" point this out reading between the lines, but it appears to have been written by a rabid Linux fan with, at best, a dislike of all things Windows.
EasyBCD was written in the days before EFI and would do exactly what you want if your PC was MBR.
Earlier versions cannot deal with EFI at all, but the latest build is aware of your EFI environment and will do everything it can correctly.
The problem is italicized, it can't make the Microsoft boot manager perform a task it's designed not to do.
The only way to get a dual boot to work with Linux and Windows on an EFI PC is not to ask bootmgr to do something it just won't do.
You must let grub take control of the boot process and use it to chain to the Windows bootmgr, which will happily bring up Windows for you.
 
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